My wife seems to go through cheap watches that eventually break. I would like to buy her a decent watch because, truth be told, she is always buying cheap ones.
I have no idea about makes of watches, which are quality and which aren’t. She also does not like digital, she prefers that old fashioned dial with numbers.
Naturally nothing very, very expensive is in my mind.
I was thinking about Rolex. Not to buy one, but about the ones being sold openly as knock-off dupes. Do these just mimic the outward appearance of the Rolex and have junk quality inside?
Anyway, any input would be appreciated. I live in Spain.
Does it have to be a woman’s watch? If not, my Bulova 96C000 has been working fine and has good functionality while having a classic and understated look. About 150$ on ebay. Not cheap but not that expensive for the number of years it will last. http://www.ashford.com/images/catalog/bulova/bracelet/96C000_FXA.jpg
Don’t go with knock-offs, especially not of Rolex. It’s too flashy and knock-offs are unlikely to last. Their whole business model is based on fooling people.
Obviously just my opinion, but I have never been disappointed with a SEIKO watch (either my own or those I got for my wife). I think they’re great (and, while not cheap, it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg either).
I have one of Casio’s upscale analog watches (an Edifice) - a good, reliable watch from a good, reliable company, and it looks more expensive than it actually was. I strongly recommend it.
My aunt goes through cheap watches like they’re made of water, but she likes changing watches often; several times my cousin has taken a “broken” watch to repair shop and it turned out to just need a new battery (I inherit aunt’s earrings, which she also buys by the handful). Does your wife complain about the watches breaking so often? I mean, giving my aunt a long-lasting watch would simply mean that my cousin would eventually have it.
I like metal bands for two reasons: one, and because of many years working in labs, I take my watched off and put them back on a lot, which is hell on leather or plastic bands. Two, I have tiny wrists (size 36 feet; hands and wrists to scale): getting a metal band shortened is a matter of minutes, but leather/plastic bands can’t be shortened (only holes added if needed) and all that extra material is uncomfortable.
The last watch I bought was a metal-banded Swatch and the only thing that’s wrong with it is that it needs a new battery; it would work just fine if I could remember to get one (these days I’m “back to pocket watches” - made by Nokia, and it has a camera and an SMS system and oh yes, it even makes and receives phone calls).
Personally I think Rolex watches are tacky, tacky, tacky. Yes, I know it’s unreasonable, but I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a Rolex.
I’ve been a life-long fan of Omega, and Mrs. DragonAsh’s favorite watch is from the Constellation series. Yes, they can get a bit expensive, but some are reasonably priced considering she’ll wear it forever.
I’m not a fan of Rolex, simply because everyone gets them. Mechanically, they are a decent watch, and well made. The fakes are not, they are junk inside.
I bought my mother a higher end Citizen and she’s had it for 15 years now. As others have said, Seiko and Casio are also well made.
The Seiko diver’s watch I had began to run 42 seconds a day fast. I had a hard time finding anyone to repair it, apparently they have taken a big hit over the last few years as far as places that sell them.
I currently have a Citizen’s watch that is powered by light. I got it as a graduation gift. It looks nice, has a few neat dials, and is pretty accurate (and the dial glows). I would recommend one to someone else.
I would not go for a Rolex knock off, they will probably last about as long as your wife’s cheap watches.
Seiko makes dependable and stylish watches. If you want to go up a little on price and style, you might look at Tissot. They make some nice women’s watches.
I’m just wondering how she “goes through them”? I’ve been wearing a Timex Expedition for at least five years now (about $35) and it just keeps on keepin’ on.
I bought myself a women’s Swiss Army watch a couple of years ago. I think it’s beautiful and timeless, and my watch and jewelry repair guy (who took some links out of the band for me) got all twitterpated when he saw it. He said it’s a very nice watch.
It’s stainless steel, sturdy, water resistant etc etc etc.
Mine looks like this but with a mother-of-pearl face.
My wife also breaks watches, and I’ve never managed to break mine. I am convinced that (cheap) women’s watches may not be as reliable as men’s. I do notice that women’s watches tend to be much smaller, which may mean smaller gears, components, etc. This may make them more fragile and easy to break.
I admit I have zero facts to back this wild theory up.
Women’s clothes, shoes and accesories tend to be built crappily because 1) women are more likely to accept lower quality if it means greater quantity through lower price 2) there’s little point in having clothes, shoes and accessories that last 5-10 years if they’re going to be thrown out/forgotten about after 1 or 2 seasons.
Some women don’t behave like this but apparently, most do.
My wife has a collection of cheap but pretty fashion watches which match outfits and nominally tell time when they work and have batteries. A couple years ago, based on my own positive 12 year experience with the line, I got her a Citizen Eco-Drive for Christmas in an attractive but neutral style. She wears it frequently, and it has become her default watch, since it goes with just about everything. As a result, her fashion watches take less wear and therefore break less often, so they’re always ready to go with the ensembles she likes them with best.
Citizen Eco Drives are good watches for the price. Better quality Seikos also tend to last a while. I would not buy a watch on eBay as I’ve been burned a time or two by perfect looking watches that had minor movement or accuracy issues, and it was obvious this was why they were being dumped.
I’m curious re “going through them” does the case or band get damaged or do they just stop working? If she dunks the watch in water or it gets wet frequently she should probably not be wearing a dressy watch even if it claims to be water resistant. Women’s dress watches under $ 300 tend to die frequently, it’s just their nature. They are not built to take a beating. Even if they have nice cases and bands they often have very cheap movements. There are not many bulletproof women’s watches.
I’m on my second Seiko - since 1985. The first, I wore nonstop from 1985 through 1994 or so, when I misplaced it and bought the second one. Found the first one and wore it again for a while, but it eventually died. The second one - 16/17 years old now - is holding up well.
Aside from the need to replace the battery every year or so, and having to replace the crystal on the first one (due to the cats knocking it down and playing with it), I have zero complaints.
Oh - price-wise, they’re moderate. I think my current model would retail for in the neighborhood of 200 dollars. Figure 15 years of use, and 7 a year for battery replacement, that’s 20ish a year.